Two Eggs Painted and Rotten
by OneCreativeIdiot
Summary: Envy over love has Blitz go to an extreme length to win Colleen's attention. Meanwhile, Exile has to help Shag with Easter dinner.
1. The Night Before Easter

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This fanfic is a special experiment. I've always jumped around from story to story, updating them one chapter at a time. As you can imagine, it's stressful beyond comprehension. This story is different however. Until my planned deadline (April 1), I will continue to update this fanfic until its completion. I should also explain that the idea for this fanfic came from the 2018 calendar, with Easter (at least on my side of the world) being celebrated on the first of April, a day commonly known as "April Fools' Day" for all the right reasons. Lastly, though this story includes small hints to the true meaning of Easter, I'm going to do my best to keep all religious themes to a bare minimum; the last thing I want to do is upset anyone to the point of backlash. With all that said, I proudly present my Easter fanfic! Please comment and favor.

DISCLAIMER: All elements of "Road Rovers" is property of Warner Brothers Animation.

"Ah, what a day it's been," a being half-human half-Golden Retriever said. "It's about time we hit the hay."

The being stretched while he gazed out the window. A crescent moon shined with the millions of stars around it. With the long flight he and his four companions had endured and the even longer progress of settling in to their temporary home, it truly had been a day and it was time for a good night's sleep.

From behind, a voice with a thick Russian accent said, "Not quite, Hunter. We still have eggs to paint."

"Oh, we can do that tomorrow," Hunter said. "After all, tomorrow is Easter."

"Yes, but it's still tradition to paint eggs the day before," the Russian voice replied. "Colleen made that clear on the trip here. You were awake so I'm sure you know that."

"Of course I was awake. Who could fly a plane in their sleep? Could you, Exile?"

"I wouldn't make bets if I were you. That's how trouble and injury comes to be."

Hunter turned from the window and towards the kitchen. There stood another half-human half-canine being, a Siberian Husky who went by the name of Exile. On the table next to him was a carton of eggs, paintbrushes, acrylic paints, newspapers, a roll of paper towels, and a large bowl of water.

Hunter surveyed the table and smiled. "I see you came prepared for egg painting," he chuckled.

"Oh no, Hunter, I'm not egg painting," said Exile. "I'm not even taking part in the egg hunt. It's only you, Colleen, and Blitz."

"That's right," Hunter replied as if the thought struck him for the first time. "You're helping Shag cook Easter dinner. Now that should be fun."

"As if," Exile scoffed. "Whenever some holly day comes around, he always rushes about getting food ready, not paying attention to whoever's in the way. I swear it'll happen again and it'll be all Shag's fault!"

"I think you mean 'holiday'," Hunter said, referring to the term "holly day".

"Christmas is holly and jolly, let's not change the subject!" Exile barked. "This is about Easter and all the cooking I have to do with Shag!"

"Don't worry, Exile, I'm sure that Shag will be doing all the cooking," said Hunter. "You'll just stand and wait for him to ask for help. That would definitely float your boat, right?"

"I guess," Exile murmured.

Hunter stepped closer to Exile and patted him on the shoulder. "Trust me," he told the husky; "being Shag's apprentice won't be so bad. Heck, you might even learn a thing or two from the master chef."

Exile did not proceed with a quarrel. He simply stared at Hunter with narrowed eyes and a frown that defined disapproval.

Just then, two more half-human half-canine beings appeared, one a male Doberman and the other a female Border Collie. It was Blitz and Colleen. Hunter's smile expanded at the sight of Colleen; they both displayed strong emotions towards each other (though they never admitted it) and were the best of partners. However, Blitz also had an attraction to Colleen. The only difference was that Colleen never acknowledged his comments about her- she never even perceived his words as kind remarks, but rather some random nonsense worthy of a good laugh.

Colleen took a single look at the table and said, "Oh good, all the supplies have been laid out. Thank you, Exile; I appreciate the help."

"You're welcome," Exile responded with a benign nod.

"Alright," Hunter said approaching the table; "what's the plan for the egg hunt?"

"Well, I've thought about it and the answer is incredibly simple," Colleen explained. "There are three players and a dozen eggs. We will each get four eggs. One egg will be painted dark red and gold, and three eggs will be painted with the colors of our homeland flags."

"Our homeland flags?" Hunter inquired.

"Yes, the flags of America, Great Britain, and Germany," said Blitz.

"You do realize there's a small problem with that idea, don't you?" Hunter asked the Doberman.

Colleen was about to respond but Blitz spoke first. "Silly Hunter, Colleen has a perfect plan," he said. "It's so easy. My eggs will be black, red, and yellow; her eggs will be blue, white, and red; and your eggs will be red, white, and blue."

Blitz crossed his arms and leaned against the wall with a complacent grin. His self-satisfaction was short-lived as he realized what Hunter was talking about: the flags of the United States and the United Kingdom shared the same three colors.

"Yeah, well, I thought about that and came up with a good solution," Colleen told Hunter. "I'm going to paint the flags of the three countries of Great Britain on my eggs. So, if you want to paint your eggs red, white, and blue, I'm not going to argue."

"How nice of you to offer," Hunter replied. "But your idea gave me an idea."

"And what's that?" Collen asked.

Hunter sat in one of the chairs and, while gathering his art supplies, told Colleen: "I'll show you."

Colleen and Blitz sat next to him and got to work on their Easter eggs. Exile left a moment later to give his friends some privacy and to watch TV in the den.

After ten minutes of carefully dabbing paint onto fragile egg shells and cleaning brushes before using a new color, the Easter eggs were done. Hunter, Colleen, and Blitz placed the eggs into a large basket and began to clean up. The used paper towels and newspapers were thrown in the trash, the bowl of water was rinsed in the sink, and the paintbrushes (after they were cleaned) were left on a dish towel to dry.

Colleen headed into the den, leaving Hunter and Blitz alone. Immediately their expressions and attitudes changed. For the past week and a half, the two canine beings (or "cano-sapiens" as their Master calls them) had been involved in a bitter war with each other. Blitz had had enough with Hunter successfully winning the attention of Colleen every time he could. He was also sick of the collie not accepting his benevolent remarks about her and calling him random nicknames instead of his real one. Exile and Shag sometimes showed powerful emotion toward Colleen, but she only appeared to be in a relationship with Hunter.

With no one else around, Hunter and Blitz commenced engaging in another feud about who Colleen deserved to be with.

"Let me guess," Hunter said arms crossed. "Colleen should be with you because you're more handsome than I am."

"That's a good reason," Blitz replied arms behind his back. "After all, you don't have to be Einstein to know that the ladies always go after men with big muscles and hot accent."

"So, she's going to choose Exile over me?" Hunter scoffed.

"No!" Blitz snapped. "Exile has nothing to do with this! This is between me and you, and I am destined to be Colleen's lover!"

Hunter took a huge step towards Blitz. They were now in each other's faces. "In your dreams she is!" the Golden Retriever growled.

"Don't doubt the inevitable, Hunter!" Blitz snarled. "Colleen will one day admire Germany muscles and allow me to take her in my arms! Now quit it with these harebrained games, or so help me God, I will reduce your heinie to ribbons!"

Hunter wasn't fazed by Blitz's childish threat. He inched closer to the Doberman's face and whispered in a Russian accent: "Don't be a weird boy."

Blitz shoved Hunter to the floor and stormed out of the kitchen. On the way to his bedroom, the Doberman fumed over his rival's impersonation of Exile. It angered him to a degree that would fling him into a violent episode. Blitz did not snap of course. He had something else in mind- something he had carefully planned and would carry out the next day.

Some people might consider me a coward, Blitz thought; but Hunter won't look so tough when Colleen sees him cower!

While Blitz and Hunter went to bed, Colleen and Exile stayed in the den watching a late-night talk show. Interestingly enough, one of the show's guests was a wildlife expert who brought four different animals with him. It was the moment the commercials came on when Exile noticed that Colleen looked a little anxious.

"Something wrong, Collen?" the husky asked.

"No, nothing's wrong," Collen replied, her head resting on a pillow.

"Something is wrong, we both know it," Exile said. "So what is it?"

Colleen sighed as she sat up straight. "It's this thought I've had since dinner," she told her companion. "I feel like something's going to happen tomorrow- something horrible."

"I'm sure it's nothing," said Exile. "A lot of people get that feeling, you know, and most of time, nothing bad happens."

"I do know that," Collen said. "Even so, I'm still worried about Hunter. Him and that other bloke seem to hate each other, and it would be awful if their bitterness gets out of control."

"Don't worry about those two. Whatever their problem is, Shag and I will make sure that it doesn't spread to us all."

"You're sweet, Exile. It's nice to hear words like that."

"Well, I'm not that interested in love, but I still have a place in my heart for such tenderness."

Collen and Exile stayed up until 9:30. By then they were tired and yawned every few seconds. Both cano-sapiens looked forward to the next day, though- even when Exile believed he would go through oblivion with Shag ordering him about, eventually leading up to a big mess. Yet everyone went to sleep that night blissfully unaware that Blitz, somewhere during the night, snuck outside and into the woods, working on whatever plan he had in store for Hunter.


	2. Easter Morning

Exile woke up the next morning to someone banging on his bedroom door. He groaned knowing exactly who it was. He lazily got out of bed and dressed him in a light green shirt and dark blue jeans.

Another loud banging was heard. "I'm coming!" Exile grumbled as he ambled towards the door.

Exile opened the door to find Shag with a big smile on his face. He said something in his half-human half-dog dialect. "Happy Easter to you too," Exile replied in a groggy voice.

Shag spoke again, asking Exile if he was ready to get cooking.

"Shag, it's about six in the morning," Exile yawned. "Can't we wait another three hours?"

Shag shook his head and told Exile that the earlier they started, the faster they would finish. The husky still wasn't excited. "I'd still like to get back to sleep," he said.

The Old English Sheepdog wrapped an arm around Exile's shoulder and escorted him to the kitchen, telling him how important it was for him to help out on a holiday and that no cliched excuse could bail him out.

"I'm not being tired just so I don't have to cook," Exile stated; "I'm tired because you woke up, and don't say it's a typical cliche!"

Shag snickered and led Exile into the kitchen. He opened his cook book while his assistance gathered the ingredients for their first Easter dish: hot cross buns. The oven was turned on and the dough was prepared according to the recipe. The dough was then split into twenty-four separate buns, placed on two cooking trays, carefully marked with a cross by means of shortcrust pastry, and set in the hot oven for thirty minutes.

Once that was done, Exile grabbed a bottle of orange juice and walked into the den. It was 6:30 AM and the sun was steadily rising over the mountains. The sunlight poured in through the window, revealing the foot of a fellow cano-sapien on the couch. Exile stepped forward and was baffled to discover a snoring Blitz.

What's Blitz doing on the couch? Exile thought. Didn't he go to room last night? I'm sure that's what he did. But still, why is he here on the couch? I'll ask him when he wakes up.

Sure enough, Blitz's eyes fluttered open and he sat up. "Good morning, Exile," the Doberman yawned.

"You went to sleep in your room, yet I find you here in the den," said Exile. "Are you trying to be Harry Houdini?"

"And a Happy Easter to you too," Blitz chuckled as he got to his feet. "How's the cooking going?"

"Shag and I put the hot cross buns in the oven," Exile told the Doberman. "After breakfast we'll make the sausage bread, and, after that, we'll make dinner."

"I though we made hot cross buns last Friday."

"We did. Shag insisted we make another two dozen for today."

"Ah, I see. So, what'll we be eating this Easter?"

"Well, we'll be having sausage bread for lunch, and tonight's dinner will be honey glazed ham, scalloped potatoes, and honey glazed carrots."

"I don't know why you would glaze honey on carrots, but it still sounds good. I'm also glad that you're liking the cooking life."

Exile rolled his eyes before strolling back to the kitchen. Blitz went down the corridor and entered the bathroom. He returned to the den a few minutes later and turned the TV on. From what Exile heard from the weatherman, the day was going to be sunny with small clouds and a temperature of sixty-three degrees Fahrenheit. It was going to be a perfect day for an egg hunt.

At 7 o'clock, Shag checked on the hot cross buns and, seeing that they were all done, turned the oven off and pulling the trays out. Exile filled the teapot with water and placed it on the stove. As if on cue, Colleen walked in. "Happy Easter," she said.

"Happy Easter," Exile replied; Shag did too, only in his dialect.

"I see you lads made more hot cross buns," Colleen said; "and, are you boiling water for tea? Exile, you didn't have to do that."

"Well, I did it anyway," Exile told her. "I figured that if I'm going to be cooped up in this kitchen all day, I might as well do a lot of cooking to keep myself busy."

Colleen smiled before walking to the cupboard and taking out a cup and a saucer. Then she grabbed the small box of tea bags, took one of the bags out, and patiently waited for the teapot to whistle.

During this time, Hunter and Blitz appeared from the two doorless entrances of the kitchen. "Happy Easter," they said simultaneously.

"Happy Easter," Colleen, Exile, and Shag replied in unison.

Hunter saw the hot cross buns and turned to Exile. "So, how are things going so far with you being Shag's right hand man?" he asked.

Exile frowned. "It's fine, I guess," he said with a shrug. "We only cooked the buns, and we still have lunch and dinner to make, so it's going to be a fun ride for me."

"Exile said we'll have sausage bread for lunch," Blitz said aloud, much to the delight of Hunter and Colleen.

"Now that sounds like lunch," Hunter remarked. "Not like that garbage style macaroni casserole we had last Christmas."

Shag scoffed as he opened the refrigerator and took out a carton of eggs, a pack of cheese, bacon, and a gallon of milk.

"Hold it, Shag!" Colleen said, rushing over to the sheepdog. She seized the carton and opened it, revealing a dozen white eggs, ready to be cracked and scrambled.

"Why did you take the eggs from Shag?" Blitz inquired the collie.

"I wanted to make sure that these aren't the eggs we'll be using in the egg hunt," Colleen explained.

Shag spoke and made a couple gestures towards the fridge.

"That's good," Hunter said. "Now we know where the Easter eggs are when it's time to hunt. We've got nothing to worry about."

"This year's Easter is going to be the best," Blitz added. "I'll make sure of that, my pretty Easter bunny."

Colleen turned to Hunter and asked, "I'm sorry to be a bother, Hunty, but why did you bring your alley friend along?"

Hunter snickered and replied with: "I thought it would be nice for him to spend Easter with some new friends."

Blitz quietly growled and left the kitchen. Hunter soon followed, having the sudden urge to ridicule the Doberman for calling Colleen his "pretty Easter bunny".

Blitz was sitting on the couch watching the local news. When he noticed Hunter standing next to him, he growled again, this time at a much higher volume.

"Well, you seemed to have lost the holiday spirit in a snap," Hunter remarked.

"I did not lose my holiday spirit," Blitz responded, his eyes still staring at the TV screen. "I'm still ticked that Colleen isn't acknowledging my comments."

"Gee, I wonder why?" Hunter said in a high-pitched, teasing tone.

Blitz instantly stood up and glared at Hunter dead in the eye. "Listen to me, goldilocks," he snarled; "I don't care if I ruin your Easter! All I want is for Colleen to smile and tell me how good I am with my muscles, my brains, and my bravery; and I shall get it on this very day!"

"Bravery?" Hunter laughed. "Are you telling me that screaming like a little girl is bravery? What's next; a piledriver is the new way to hug?"

Blitz immediately lost patience and grabbed Hunter by his shirt collar. "Enough with the taunts!" he barked. "Let the brawl begin!"

Hunter bared his teeth and was just about to strike Blitz's snout when Colleen's voice made them freeze. "Is everything alright in there?"

"Yes, Colleen," the two cano-sapiens responded.

Blitz dropped Hunter and whispered, "This isn't over! You will never be her boyfriend!"

"Oh yeah?" Hunter growled. "We'll see about that when the egg hunt is over. Better yet, we can go downstairs and kill each other at a game of eight-ball."

"If that's how you want to clash, so be it!" Blitz grunted. "But know this, you still won't run away with Colleen's heart!"

Hunter snorted and headed to his room to cool down. Blitz sat back down on the couch and proceeded to watch the morning news, which was now showing families with small children having fun at a large farm, which included videos of a hayride, a person walking around in an Easter bunny costume handing out chocolate eggs, and last but not least dozens of children running through a field collecting multi-colored plastic eggs.

Blitz grinned thinking of his evil plan, the reason why he was up all night in the woods. "True, Hunter is sort of a pro at eight-ball," he said to himself; "but only because he can see what's ahead of him."


	3. A Friendly Competition

Colleen flipped the page of the novella she was reading, now taking her to the fifth chapter. She was sitting in the jade green recliner by the left corner of the fireplace, whose ash-coated walls and hearth were about as dark as the metal and mesh fire screen beside it. The basement, decorated with fancy furniture, elegant paintwork, and beautiful carpeting, had a luxurious feel to it, as if to say that the people who owned the house were profoundly wealthy. That particular speculation would most likely explain the pool table, which was currently occupied by Hunter and Blitz.

Hunter tapped his foot while Blitz racked the balls. He did this longer than usual, and his competitor was growing impatient.

"Come on, old man!" Hunter growled. "Let's get the game over with!"

"Be patient, Hunter!" Blitz snapped. "I want to get the balls in just the right place. I hope to win this time!"

"You said that the first time," said Hunter; "and the second time, and the third time, and the last time."

"And your point is?" Blitz asked, eyeing Hunter in annoyance

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Hunter replied. "You think you'll win the next game, and I always prove you wrong."

Blitz huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Now, Hunter," Colleen began, her eyes still locked on her book; "don't go boasting your abilities out loud. You might be wrong this time. Your alley buddy might pull a fast one and win by a long shot."

Hunter was about to respond but Blitz beat him to it. "I appreciate your motivation, Colleen," he said not upset at all that she called him Hunter's "alley friend" again.

Colleen only nodded and continued reading.

Blitz carefully picked up the rack and throw it on the nearby armchair. "Alright, Hunter," he told the gold-colored cano-sapien, simultaneously grabbing his cue stick; "let's begin the fifth round!"

"Finally!" Hunter yelled as he firmly grasped his cue stick. "As if waiting for Exile and Shag to finish cooking wasn't agonizing enough!"

"It's only 10:50," Blitz retorted; "Surely you can survive the next hour and ten minutes."

"I can!" Hunter growled.

As Blitz got into position to start the game with the break shot, he heard Hunter mumble, "And don't call me Shirley!"

Blitz chuckled, remembering the movie " _Airplane!_ " they watched the previous Wednesday, before driving his cue stick forward with great force, propelling the cue ball in the same direction which then smashed into the 3 ball. Instantly, all the balls scattered in different directions. As luck would have it, Blitz's shot pocketed three balls but not the 8 ball. The Doberman grinned while the Golden Retriever groaned in frustration.

"See, what did I tell you?" Colleen said to Hunter, not looking away from her book.

"Don't say that, Colleen," Hunter insisted. "Blitz and I have only begun the fifth game!"

After Blitz had taken his second shot and unsuccessfully pocketing any more balls, Hunter took his, failing to pocket the 9 ball. The rest of the game went on just as the other four had. Blitz did his best, using all the tricks he knew by heart to beat his opponent, but in the end, Hunter managed to pocket the 8 ball. This ultimately led to the sixth round and eventually the seventh.

Near the end of the sixth round, Colleen placed a bone-shaped bookmark into her book and headed for the stairs. It was not the obnoxious clatter of balls or Hunter and Blitz's loud bickering that compelled her to go upstairs; it was the commonplace sensation of a full bladder that interrupted her reading.

Right before she reached the top of the stairs, Colleen's nose caught the aroma of baking bread. The collie poked her head in the kitchen and found Shag and Exile sipping water, obviously taking a break from cooking.

"Hello there, chaps," Colleen said. "No need to ask about the sausage bread, I'm sure it's still baking. How are you lads doing?"

"We're doing great," Exile replied. "Shag and I just cleaned up the table. It took a lot of space and flour to get the dough ready. And once we sprinkled the cheese and sausage on it, we rolled it up and shoved it in the oven. And it should be ready in..." the husky turned to the sheepdog; "how many minutes?"

Shag uttered a few woofs and a yip.

Exile turned back to Colleen and stated, "Twenty minutes."

"I figured there was a catch," said Colleen.

"Well, waiting for the bread to bake isn't really the catch," said Exile. "The catch is that we have to wait another five minutes for the bread to cool. Shag said so."

Shag snorted when Exile pointed his thumb at him.

"Oh, it doesn't really matter," Colleen responded. "But I suppose it'll be ready by noon, correct?"

Shag nodded and yipped. He then offered her something to drink.

"No thank you," said Colleen. "I need to have a slash."

"A slash of what?" Exile asked.

Colleen didn't reply but rather moved her legs to show a hint of desperation. Exile and Shag got the message and Colleen left.

"To be honest," Exile told his comrade; "I get really confused when Colleen uses British English sayings."

Shag voiced his agreement before taking another sip of water.

"Remember when we were trying to stop Parvo and Hunter almost burned down the abandoned factory we were in?" Exile inquired. "Do you remember Collen yelling about how "knackered" she was of being so 'cheesed off' at Hunter? That was so strange, wasn't it?"

Shag nodded.

"I mean, I don't have any prejudice towards the British or anyone for that matter," Exile continued. "It's just that some of the things certain groups of people say are completely bizarre. It doesn't matter what it is, some of the sayings are just weird. It's like saying you'd like a ride to the office when it sounds like you called the guy a nunchuck head."

Shag told Exile something in his language.

"Knuckles, nunchucks, they both do the same damage," Exile scoffed.

The two cano-sapiens drank in silence and waited for the sausage bread to finish baking. It wouldn't be another eighteen minutes before the timer would go off. Perhaps the bread would be ready a few minutes early, they thought. They hoped that would happen so no one had to wait a long time to eat it.

Colleen passed by a couple minutes later and returned to the basement. Before she did though, she peered at the small digital clock next to the TV. 11:11, it read. Forty-nine minutes till lunch, two hours and nineteen minutes till the egg hunt. She was looking forward to both affairs. To her, this year's Easter was going to be one of the best.

"I'm back," Colleen said when she returned to the basement.

"Where'd you go?" Hunter asked; he and Blitz were so focused on beating each other at eight-ball that they didn't realize she had left.

"Upstairs," Colleen replied. "I had to see a man about a dog."

Hunter and Blitz looked away from the pool table, staring at the collie with puzzled expressions. They didn't know what their friend was talking about. The words "man" and "dog" made them think of their Master and the other member of their team, Muzzle, a Rottweiler who was confined to a straightjacket and muzzle due to the effects a failed experiment had on his intellect.

Colleen noticed the duo's faces and sighed. "I had to use the bathroom," she told them.

"Oh," Hunter and Blitz said in unison.

Blitz returned his focus and took his turn, pocketing two balls. "Dang it!" he barked. "I missed the 8 ball!"

"Oh well," said Hunter; "at least you give it your best."

He then took his turn but didn't pocket any balls. Blitz didn't say anything, he did smile though, which irritated Hunter.

Eventually, Hunter won the game for the seventh time (no surprise). As they set up the eighth game, Colleen closed her book, got up from the recliner, and strolled over to them. "Do you lads mind if I join in?" she asked.

"No, not at all," Blitz said, handing the collie a cue stick.

Colleen was allowed to take the break shot. She did, and managed to pocket two balls. On her second turn, she pocketed the 4 ball. No balls were pocketed on her third shot, but Hunter and Blitz were kind and remarked on how good she was at eight-ball.

While the male cano-sapiens' comments delighted her, Colleen still felt uneasy around Hunter and Blitz. Throughout the game, the Golden Retriever and Doberman spoke to each other in undertones whenever they got a chance. Cleary they didn't want Colleen to hear whatever they were saying, but their behavior still troubled to the collie- especially by their past behavior and the hint of repugnance in their voices.

During the tenth round, Hunter and Blitz's bickering morphed to pushing and hitting. Colleen tried to ignore it until Blitz shoved Hunter into her, causing them both to fall. She finally snapped.

Colleen threw Hunter aside and kicked Blitz in the stomach, sending him flying across the basement. "Stop it already!" she roared. "What has gotten into you blokes?! You've been acting like children since this morning; no, scratch that, you've been immature for the past month! You told me things would go well this Easter, but seeing you both act like this just..." Colleen paused for a moment, thinking of how to describe her anger. When she couldn't think of a good word, she threw her arms and said, "I'm so gobsmacked right now!"

"You're 'gobsmacked'?" Hunter asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Sometimes you use the weirdest words, Colleen," Blitz remarked with honesty.

Colleen yelled in exasperation and stormed up the stairs. Hunter and Blitz watched their friend leave and were immediately filled to the brim with rage.

"See what you did?!" Hunter barked at Blitz.

"Me?!" the Doberman snarled. "It was you who started it all! Boasting about how much Colleen loved you more than me!"

"I never boasted a thing in my life!" Hunter protested. "The reason we're fighting is because you can't stop fantasizing about having Colleen in your arms!"

Blitz stomped over to Hunter, grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up to his face, and growled: "My love for Colleen is not fantasy, Hunter! It's real! If you insist that I must fight to the death for her, so be it! Just remember, you'll never succeed in making your dreams a reality! You want to fight me now, fine! I don't mind having your rump for lunch!"

Hunter bared his teeth for a moment, then inched closer to Blitz and whispered, "Again, don't be a weird boy!"

Upstairs, Colleen sat on the couch calming herself down. Exile and Shag were in the kitchen slicing the sausage bread. They allowed it to cool for five minutes after taking it out of the oven but it was still hot, so they got to work with a couple knives and oven mitts. Earlier, when the bread was done and the oven was turned off, Colleen had entered the kitchen and, without a word, opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of juice. Her anger was clear not only by her attitude but also by the fact that she downed half of the bottle in one huge gulp.

After the sausage bread was sliced and placed on a large serving platter, Exile left the kitchen to check on Colleen. "Hey, Colleen," he said; "you feeling okay?"

"I feel a bit better," Colleen responded. "I'm still ticked at Hunter and that other dunce. Their behavior is getting out of hand. While we were playing pool, they started fighting like children. I don't know what's gotten into them!"

"I feel for you," said Exile. "I'll bet you anything that Muzzle can act more his age than those two!"

"Let's not," Colleen sighed. "I still feel like something bad's about to happen. Even worse, I feel like one of them is going to commit it."

Exile wrapped an arm around Colleen, not in a romantic way but one of comfort. "It's okay, Colleen," he said. "Just as I told you last night, Shag and I will make sure that Hunter and Blitz are kept in their place; and if either of them does commit some terrible thing, we'll make sure it never happens again."

Colleen turned her head to smile at Exile. "I swear, you are just a sweetheart," she told the husky.

"Me? A sweetheart? That's not likely," Exile replied, grinning warmly.

Then he took Colleen's hand and said, "Come on, Shag and I got the sausage bread sliced up. Get it while it's still visible."

Colleen laughed and strolled to the kitchen to grab a slice or two of sausage bread. She heard Exile shout, "Hunter! Blitz! Time for sausage bread!"

Oh joy, Colleen thought. I get to see them again.

Hunter and Blitz ambled up the steps and into the kitchen, where they collected a couple slices of their noon meal. It was easy to tell that both cano-sapiens were exhausted and bruised, most likely from an aggressive tussle. Although no one spoke of Blitz and Hunter's change in behavior, Colleen and Exile were equally concerned about it; and the notion of a horrible thing yet to come was getting stronger.

Exactly what horrible thing was yet to happen was a mystery, just as the question of who was going to commit it. All the same, everyone wanted to have a splendid Easter, and the best part of the holiday was an hour and twenty-five minutes away.


	4. (Moments Before) The Egg Hunt

"Alright, alright already!" Exile growled, snatching the peeler and a knife from a kitchen drawer.

The husky muttered to himself as he peeled and sliced a dozen large potatoes. He was intensely aggravated with Shag ordering him about the kitchen as they began preparations for Easter dinner. Usually dinner would be served at 5 o'clock and it was almost 1:30. When asked why they had to start three and a half hours early, Shag said that it was better to get things done with a more vast amount of time; plus they would have two or three breaks considering that the dishes would take only an hour to cook. Exile was still unhappy though. He did not like being the sheepdog's assistant.

By the time Exile had peeled and sliced the last potato, he was ready to have a break; but Shag ordered him to dump a specific amount of potatoes into the baking dish as he added the other ingredients. After that, he was to hide the Easter eggs for Hunter, Colleen, and Blitz; then they would have a short break. Exile grumbled but complied.

Once the scalloped potatoes were in the oven, Exile went to the fridge and withdrew the carton containing the Easter eggs. He opened the cartoon to marvel at the artwork its seekers gave them. Blitz's eggs were black, red, and yellow. Colleen's eggs were painted in the flags that made up the Union Jack: the flag of England, the flag of Scotland, and Saint Patrick's Saltire. Hunter's eggs were the most interesting; one looked like the flag of Austria, another had the red and white stripes reversed, and the other looked like the flag of Texas. Very nice, Exile thought as he closed the carton.

Exile entered the den to announce that the egg hunt would start soon. The instant he opened his mouth, Hunter burped the words: "Hi, Exile."

Colleen and Blitz's heads snapped at Hunter. They were not amused by his ill-mannered attempt to make everyone laugh. Exile was exceedingly annoyed because his mouth was open and he had to taste Hunter's breath, a mixture of the scents of sausage and cheese.

"Gee, thanks for the treat, Hunter," the husky coughed. "I really appreciate it."

"Hey, be thankful I didn't try it from the other end," Hunter replied.

"We always are," Exile, Colleen, and Blitz stated all at once.

Hunter didn't say anything after that. His comedy was getting him the exact opposite of what he hoped for.

"Anyways," said Exile; "the time to hunt for Easter eggs is coming soon. I'll be outside hiding the eggs. Until I come back, stay away from the windows so you don't cheat. The first rover to return with all four eggs will win the bacon bunny."

Three pairs of canine eyes lit up at the mention of the bacon bunny, a homemade bacon-flavored dog biscuit sculpted into the shape of a rabbit. If he sent the idea to any dog treat manufacturer in the world and they would accept it, this scrumptious creation of Shag's would be dubbed the "animal safe equivalent of a chocolate bunny".

"You know, I can proudly admit this," Colleen said. "All this excitement about searching for eggs to win a tasty prize makes me feel like a pup again."

"What do you mean?" Blitz inquired.

Colleen's smile faded before she answered with: "Well, it's like this: I grew up on the streets, and being the oldest of three, it was my duty to help mum and dad keep all five of us fed."

"Aw, Colleen, that's so terrible," said Hunter. "I can't imagine going through that type of lifestyle."

"It was rough," Colleen replied; "but we survived and stayed together; up until the dog catcher caught my family and shipped 'em to the pound."

There was a moment of silence. Hunter, Blitz, and Exile had their fair share of dreadful life experiences, but the story Colleen told about her life before becoming a cano-sapien topped them all.

The collie saw the faces of her companions and told them: "Don't feel too bad about me. I was scared from time to time but I managed to keep my spirits up. Now, let's now let sadness get the better of us. It's Easter for goodness sake; let's begin the egg hunt!"

Hunter and Blitz immediately psyched themselves up.

"Well, first, I must hide the eggs," Exile stated. "Remember that once I come back, the hunt officially begins, and no peeking."

Hunter, Colleen, and Blitz promised to stay on the couch until he returned.

Before Exile could leave, Blitz suddenly stood up. "Hold it, Exile," he said.

The husky stopped and the Doberman whispered something into his ear. When Exile nodded and exited the house through the sliding door, Blitz grinned and walked away, snickering to himself.

Hunter and Colleen watched Blitz stroll down the hallway slightly puzzled. What did he just say to Exile, and why did he have a diabolical grin after talking to him? Hunter soon shook it off; Colleen however was still troubled by Blitz.

"What do you think he told Exile?" the collie asked the Golden Retriever.

"I don't know," Hunter responded, eyes glued to the TV. "Whatever it is, must be big."

The fact that Hunter didn't even look at her and his voice lacked any hint of concern troubled Colleen even more. She was already fed up with his odd behavior, but now it was taking a strange turn. Were Hunter and Blitz about to take their disagreement (whatever the heck it was) to a higher level? More importantly, what caused them to grow severe bitterness towards each other? Sure, Hunter could be cocky and it would usually cause one of them to get annoyed with him, but there was no way one simple misunderstanding could lead him and another Rover into war; so why was it happening?

Colleen racked her brain out trying to figure it out. She didn't snap back to reality until Shag began howling and snarling in the kitchen. It wasn't until a loud clattering noise filled the house that she rushed to the kitchen to investigate. Hunter followed, fearing Shag had hurt himself out of anger.

"Shag, what happened?!" Hunter cried.

Shag barked his response as he hastily gathered the pots and pans off the floor.

Colleen ambled over to help the sheepdog and she told him: "Shag, I'm sure Exile is taking his time in finding good hiding spots for our eggs. He should be back soon; no need to lose your marbles."

Shag muttered something while noisily refilling the cupboard of its pots and pans.

"Hey, don't think we can't hear you!" Hunter barked.

There came a deep growl from the sheepdog before he sat at the table to calm down. Hunter and Colleen left him alone and went back to the couch, keeping their heads down in an attempt not to glance out the glass pane of the sliding door.

"Now I'm really starting to worry," Colleen whisper.

"Why?" Hunter inquired.

"First you and Blitzen, now Shag," Colleen said. "I don't understand why everyone's getting so angry over nothing."

"Well, that's something not to get scared about," Hunter replied. "Try your best to ignore it. That's what I'd do."

"Yeah; still though, why did you two start a fight this morning? Why have you both been so virulent to begin with?"

"Colleen, it's none of your business."

"It is too! You both could've gotten hurt!"

For a brief moment, Hunter looked as if he was ready to snap at Colleen. After taking a deep breath, he simply told his fellow cano-sapien: "Look, I know that I was wrong to beat Blitz up, and I'm sorry you had to get involved. Trust me when I say that I will do everything in my power to make sure it never happens again. You got nothing to worry about."

"Right," Colleen sighed. "I've heard that one before."

Not long after the show they were watching ended, Blitz returned carrying three small wicker baskets. He also had the same wicked grin on his face. The sight alone compelled Colleen to ask the Doberman why he was smiling. His response was: "I'm very excited to start the egg hunt, I'm bound to win! You will be very impressed, my dear Easter bunny."

Colleen facepalmed and sighed deeply. She didn't make a silly retort as she usually did- she was just done.

"Now, Blitz, Colleen doesn't want to hear any more bragging and stuff like that," Hunter said to the Doberman. "She's still mad about the fight we had."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Colleen," Blitz sincerely told the collie. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

Colleen heaved another sigh. "I know neither of you do it intentionally," she said; "but this bloomin' war of yours needs to stop. It's ridiculous."

"No need to fear," Blitz stated confidently. "I'm sure that Hunter and I will make up after the egg hunt."

"What does that mean?" Hunter asked, a tiny bit suspicious.

Blitz chuckled. "A wonderful surprise will knock the anger right out of us. That's why I made arrangements with Exile to have it all set up."

"Why that's awfully nice of you to try and end your feud with Hunter," Colleen said to Blitz. "I really hope this surprise you have planned will make this the best Easter we ever had."

"Oh ho, you bet!" Blitz replied exuberantly.

Before they knew it, the sliding door slid open and Exile stepped in. "Righty-o, comrades," he announced. "All of the eggs I have hidden. I made sure to stay away from the forest and to place each egg in a place you're sure to find them. Remember, the first player to find all four eggs and return wins the bacon bunny!"

Hunter, Colleen, and Blitz howled in excitement.

"Say, Exile," Hunter said; "I've been thinking. How about you join us in the hunt; you can hunt the red and gold eggs."

"I'm flattered by the offer, Hunter," Exile acknowledged; "but I'm a little tired from all the walking I did. I think I'll stay here and-"

Exile was interrupted by Shag grabbing him by the back of his shirt and dragging him straight to the kitchen. The husky resisted and yelled, "Shag, enough of this! I deserve some rest!"

Shag snarled at him.

"It was you who woke me up while the sun was not yet risen!" Exile barked. "I didn't even want to help you cook! I just agreed so I would not have to hear anyone ramble about the importance of helping others even when their arms and legs are fully function!"

Shag then asked the husky a question. Said question caused Exile's eyes to expand to immense proportions. He even started to blush.

"I never knew why but I find it so addictive," the husky stated.

Shag said something else before escorting Exile to the kitchen.

Hunter, Colleen, and Blitz seized their egg baskets and marched to the sliding down. "Alright, rovers!" he said. "Let the hunt begin!"

The trio howled once more and dashed out the sliding door, down the steps of back porch, and into the field.

Exile and Shag watched them spill out before resumed cooking dinner. As they did though, Exile felt a pinch of worry as he cut open the bag of baby carrots.

I have no clue why Blitz asked for all of Hunter's eggs to be in the same place, Exile thought; but it's safe to assume that he wanted to make the hunt a challenge for Hunter. Pretty clever if I say so myself.


	5. The Egg Hunt

A small egg, yellow as goldenrods, rested on the branch of a tall tree. Blitz spotted it and paused. He took a moment to wonder how Exile got it up there without hurting himself or cracking the egg. Afterwards, he placed his basket on the ground, extended his claws, and climbed up the tree.

"Gotcha!" Blitz said as he gently snatched the egg.

After landing safely on the ground with the egg still in one piece, Blitz smiled. Once he had the remaining two red eggs in his basket, he would claim victory and the bacon bunny.

Taking a left at a few thick shrubs, Blitz saw Colleen sauntering towards him. He managed to peek at her basket, which was full of three painted eggs.

"Wow," the Doberman remarked. "You almost have all your eggs."

"I know," Colleen replied. "Exile hid these in the most creative places; yet I was still able to find them. How about you? How many eggs do you have left?"

"I'm halfway done," Blitz said proudly, holding up his basket.

"Well, good for you," said Colleen. "Now I wonder how Hunter's doing."

As if on cue, a yellow being zoomed passed them and a wave of wind crashed into them. The being then stopped, revealing himself as Hunter.

"Man, this egg hunt is so much fun!" the Golden Retriever exclaimed. "I found my Texas egg right next to my Austria egg! Two down, two to go!"

What? Blitz thought. Didn't I tell Exile to put all of Hunter's eggs where his surprise was? Why did he shrug off my plan? Maybe so the game will be fair for everyone.

"Wow, Huntie, that's pure luck," Colleen commented, though she knew that Exile had something to do with it. "It looks like you and your alley friend are tied. Try looking near the forest, I'm sure Exile bent the rules a little. But if you'll excuse me, I have one more egg to find. Cheerio!"

The collie strolled away to search for her last egg. When she had left, Hunter and Blitz stared at each other, knowing that the hunt was now a race to beat Colleen. The cano-sapien who would win the hunt would be the one who found their last two eggs, and Colleen had left a good tip on where to find them. Without a word, Hunter turned around and sped off in the direction of the woods. Blitz snarled and chased him at his own speed.

"Slow down, Hunter!" Blitz demanded. "You're cheating!"

"Says you!" Hunter retorted. "You're the one who has to catch up!"

Blitz roared again as he and Hunter drew closer and closer to the entrance of the forest.

The two cano-sapiens scoured the bushes and first row of trees for their eggs. Because of how furious they were, the area around them could've been torn apart. Fortunately, the discovery of a white and red egg prevented that from occurring.

"Aha!" Hunter cried as he held the egg up.

"Oh ho!" Blitz exclaimed, holding up a dark red and gold egg.

Hunter bared his teeth and growled, "Oh yeah?"

Blitz nodded before running off to the barn. Hunter dashed after him, overtaking the Doberman as usual.

The barn they were rushing to was enormous and old, with the red and white paint peeling off and the windows covered in grime. It wasn't as if the owners of the ranch had neglected the barn. From what the rovers heard from their Master, the ranch was owned by a couple who produced hay and bred horses. They didn't know exactly why the couple would lend their home to a group of half-human half-dog beings. All they really knew was the man and his wife were in the next state over celebrating Easter with their relatives, and the horses had been temporarily moved to a different farm.

Hunter pulled the barn doors open and quickly shut them after entering. Blitz almost smashed into the doors because of how fast he ran. He tried vigorously to pry the doors open but the cano-sapien pulling the doors back refused to let go of the handles.

"HUNTER, YOU CHEATER!" Blitz roared. "LET GO OF THE DOORS! _JETZT_!"

" _Jetzt_?" Hunter asked.

" _NOW_!" Blitz yelled before he pulled with all his might.

The force Blitz used to tug the doors open caught Hunter off guard, and it flung him off his feet and straight at Blitz. The Doberman felt the intensity of the collision and he fell backwards onto the hard ground.

Luckily, none of the eggs were damaged, but Hunter and Blitz were deeply infuriated. They snarled at each other for five seconds and then Blitz charged at Hunter, knocking him to the ground and the duo rolled into the barn with the doors mysteriously closing behind them.

The next minute and a half consisted of the two cano-sapiens beating the living daylights out of each other. Anyone listening outside the barn would hear the yelling of the fighters, the rattle of farm tools, the crashing of objects, and the occasionally thud whenever a fighter slammed his opponent onto the solid floor.

For a moment it sounded like things were about to get messy. Then suddenly, the fighting ceased. The silence was so abrupt that someone would think that the cano-sapiens had collapsed from exhaustion. However, if one were to press their ear against the door, they could clearly hear Hunter and Blitz conversing. Whatever it was they were talking about, it resulted in the duo walking out of the barn with fake smiles plastered on their faces.

"You know, I'm really glad we had that talk," Hunter told Blitz as they picked up their baskets and eggs; they also placed a new egg with their collection.

"Oh yeah, I am too," Blitz said in agreement.

The tone of their voices indicated that they were still mad at one another, and yet they continued to display fake smiles.

"We were so stupid to believe that violence solved all of life's problems," Hunter remarked.

"Yeah, shame on us," said Blitz. "We were too angry, so we didn't know it."

"But now that we talked things out, we understand that it's not you or I who is to blame," Hunter stated. "The true person to blame is that particular rover who brought so much hatred upon us both."

Blitz was confused for a moment, then he realized Hunter's game and decided to mix it up a little. "You're right," he said. "You're absolutely right. You didn't start this; no, it was that rover who made us believe one was better than the other."

"Exactly," Hunter replied, completely unaware of who Blitz was referring to. "None of this would've happened if that rover hadn't gone off about who deserves who and why it's supposedly true."

"I couldn't agree with you more," said Blitz. "Someone needs to teach that rover a lesson for messing with us!"

"Well said, Blitz," Hunter responded. "Well said."

Although they both had all their eggs, Hunter and Blitz decided to peacefully stroll through the area. Colleen had most likely found her last egg while they were having their barn brawl, and had already gone inside to claim her prize. The bacon bunny no longer mattered to Hunter and Blitz, food wasn't worth fighting for (unless it was a dire situation of course). Until they would return to the house, the duo would stay outside and chat; the topic being "the rover".

"And to think that either of us trusted that rover as a teammate!" Blitz stated as he and Hunter passed by the first row of trees.

"I know," Hunter replied. "Normally one of us would screw something up on a mission and would soon be forgiven; but for a fellow rover to cause war between two good friends for their twisted fun is a terrible thing!"

"Yeah; saying mean things that encourage us to fight is unacceptable!" Blitz added. "That rover must hang their head in shame!"

"Definitely," Hunter responded. "I can't bear to think that someone like that cold-hearted rover could get away with everything they've done to us!"

"For shame!"

"Turning their teammates against each other for their own game is something worth bringing up to the Master."

"One hundred percent! I want that rover to pay for starting our war!"

"There's no need to make bets whether or not the rover will be severely punished- they will be punished!"

"I hope when we receive a mission, the Master will make that rover stay behind and clean the base! It would serve them right for being so stupid and cruel!"

Wow, Hunter thought. Blitz is good at this. He doesn't even realize I'm talking about him; he's probably talking about me. Well, once we're back inside, I'll deal with him in private.

A loud rustling noise caused Hunter and Blitz to snap their heads toward the woods. There was no wind that day so it startled them. Upon seeing some more bushes rustle, they figured that a deer or a fox was passing by. No big deal, they thought.

"You know, Blitz," Hunter said to the Doberman; "I think Colleen's waiting for us at the house. Why don't we head back?"

"Yeah, good idea," Blitz replied with a nod.

The two cano-sapiens turned towards the house and began the journey there. Incredibly, their attempt to mock each other actually helped them vent out their frustration. Hunter and Blitz smiled wholeheartedly as the house drew near. They hoped that Colleen and dinner would be waiting for them when they walked through the sliding door.


	6. Two Eggs in Hot Water

"What do you mean 'stay and watch the ham', Shag?! We don't serve dinner till five yet you're still being a nag!"

Exile's roar was followed by several barks and growls from Shag.

"I wasn't the one who wanted to get things done two hours early!" Exile snarled. "It was you! Everything that happened in this kitchen was your own doing, so don't blame me for anything!"

Another one of the husky and sheepdog disagreements had now escalated into a shouting match. They both felt hot as their verbal war intensified; this also enlarged their desire to use violence against each other. Thankfully, with the ham sitting in a foil lined pan on the table, neither Exile or Shag dared to give in to the immoral urge.

In the den, Hunter and Blitz sat on the couch with their hands over their ears and their teeth clenched. Exile and Shag had been fighting for almost three minutes now. They had turned the volume of the TV as high as the remote would let them but it was hopeless. If the husky and sheepdog didn't end their quarrel, four cano-sapiens would snap instead of two.

"This is seriously the reward we get for winning the egg hunt?" Blitz asked Hunter in a loud voice. "Having to sit here and listen to Exile and Shag yell at each other?"

"Technically, no," Hunter responded. "We could be in the basement playing eight-ball, so the reason why we're still up here is beyond me."

"A game of eight-ball sounds good about now," said Blitz. "Let's go."

"Sure," said Hunter; "but first, let's get mom and dad to shut up!"

The duo hopped off the couch and made their way to the kitchen. As they ambled their way there, Shag had finished saying something in a low growl and it was now Exile's turn to shout.

"How dare you mock me like that!" the husky roared. "I would never deem anyone on this team a pest! You know that, Shag! All our fighting is because you're fussing too much about dinner! Yes, it's special for this day, but you're still being hypocritical over a simple task anyone could complete! Besides," he added nonchalantly; "at least I don't tent to add toilet water into my food."

Shag was about to go off on Exile; Hunter was quick to intervene. "That's enough!" he barked. "Geez, the state just called; you're being too loud!"

"Stay out of this, Hunter!" Exile snarled. "You and Blitz have no involvement in this! It's just me and Shag!"

Blitz, standing by Hunter's side, said, "Hunter does have a point, Exile. You and Shag have been fighting for the third time today, and once again, it's about cooking. It's totally ludicrous!"

"I told you, stay out of this!" Exile roared at the Doberman, taking a big step forward to intimidate him and Hunter.

This tactic only provoked Blitz and Hunter, and they stepped into the kitchen and yelled at Exile for his attempt to scare them away. Shag joined in which worsened the situation. Now all four cano-sapiens were screaming at one another, blaming the other for triggering the fight. They were screaming at the top of their lungs, and, not too long after, were soon hitting each other like children.

The tumult the group produced was so loud they didn't hear the back door slide open. In fact, no one stopped fighting until Exile broke away from the group and ran out of the kitchen.

"Hey!" Blitz called out. "Where do you think you're going, coward?!"

Instead of a direct response, the Doberman, Hunter, and Shag heard Exile say, "Colleen, what's with the tears? What's with the scratches?"

Hunter and Blitz's eyes shot open. They had totally forgotten about Colleen. They thought she had found her last egg and returned to the house. Did she just enter the house? Did she have scratches? Was she crying?

All three questions were answered when they heard Colleen reply, "I was flung into a tree by some sort of catapult. I didn't fall thankfully; my arms got caught in a couple of strong branches and I was suspended like a cross."

"Did you get the scratches when you climbed down?" Exile inquired.

"Yes," Colleen sniveled, a clear sign of how hurt she truly was. "It's nothing serious but, when I was about to jump down, I overheard a conversation between...between them, saying I purposely made them fight for...amusement."

Hunter and Blitz's fearful eyes shifted to each other. The word "them" ment them, Hunter and Blitz, the other egg hunters. Colleen was sure to push them into a pool of hot water whenever the chance came. Exile was talking to her; perhaps he would have the honor of doing it for her. Either way, the Golden Retriever and Doberman feared what was yet to come- especially when they heard the last part of Colleen's statement.

"Hunter and Blitz?" Exile asked.

A muffled whimper was heard, and though they or Shag didn't peek, Hunter and Blitz knew Colleen had affirmed her claim about them.

"Look, I will talk to them about this; okay?" said Exile. "So, please, don't worry about a thing. I promise."

"I appreciate your kindness, Exile," Colleen replied. "All the same, I'm skipping dinner. Easter's over for me."

"What?! No, Colleen," Exile protested; "you can't miss the ham! Like I said, I will talk to-"

Colleen, sounding like she was on the verge of breaking down, cut him off. "Again, I respect your goodwill, but I want nothing more to do with Hunter or anyone else! I'm sure they'd want it the same way. Good night."

Hunter and Blitz cautiously stepped forward and glanced into the hallway. They saw a dejected Colleen scurry to her room and Exile running after her, softly calling for the collie to stop, only to have her bedroom door slam in his face. This caused them to wince and step away from the doorless entrance. The duo were relieved that Exile hadn't turned around to stare at them with great revulsion; however, they heard a growl from behind and spun around to find Shag with his arms crossed, looking very mad.

"Uh, Shag," Hunter said meekly; "before you kill us, let me and Blitz explain ourselves."

"Yeah," Blitz added; "it's simple to explain. It happened like this."

Blitz was unable to continue, for he and Hunter felt a hand snatch the back of their collars and pull them back. The two cano-sapiens gulped. Exile was dragging them to the basement; they had no need to glance behind them. Well, at least not to know it was Exile, but to watch where they stepped.

Once in the basement, Exile led Hunter and Blitz back a few more steps before letting go of their collars. The instant the duo turned around to speak, the husky roared at them in a vehement voice. "CARE TO EXPLAIN YOURSELVES?!"

Hunter and Blitz jumped back in fright. They managed not to fall on their butts but were still startled by Exile's defeaning bark.

"Oh, yes, w-w-we can explain our-our-ourselves," Hunter faltered.

Blitz nodded and was about to say something but Exile spoke first. "Well explain!" he demanded.

"We were getting to that!" Blitz stated. "No need to get all angry and stuff!"

"Who wouldn't be angry at that moment?!" Exile snarled. "Colleen said she was catapulted into a tree and overheard you two saying she was the cause of your little war! None of that's true, isn't it!"

The two shaken cano-sapiens shook their heads.

Exile forced out the rest of his rage in a long exhale and said, "Start at the beginning."

Blitz hung his head before starting his and Hunter's confession.

"I was deeply jealous of Hunter's ability to charm Colleen, and I also had enough of Colleen pretending she never knew me," the Doberman explained. "When Hunter found out, he ridiculed me and it made me madder than ever. You get the idea what happens next."

Exile crossed his arms and asked, "Why did you want me to put all of Hunter's eggs on a bush? Was that where the catapult was?"

"Yes," Blitz admitted. "I was sick of Hunter's bragging so I built a special catapult that would send him into the trees."

The husky shifted his focus to Hunter. "Did you always brag about Colleen?" he asked.

"I have," Hunter answered with pure honesty. "I always found it funny when Colleen thought Blitz was someone she never met before, and, to be honest, the goofy names she'd often give him were the icing on the cake."

"Alright, I have a pretty good idea what happened today," Exile stated with a solemn tone. "Blitz, you wanted to get Colleen to acknowledge you with a different approach then calling her a 'pretty dog girl'. That's very good, but you also wanted to push Hunter out-of-the-way, which is bad. It's clear that everything you said about Colleen is not true, yet I'm still confused. What did you say that got her so upset?"

"Blitz and I were mocking each other," said Hunter. "I started it, Blitz caught on, and Colleen misunderstood us."

Exile's face continued to hold a somber expression when, in truth, he was pleased that Hunter and Blitz didn't hurt Colleen's feelings on purpose. Now came the good part of the confrontation: the apology.

"Well boys," the husky stated; "you're not as villainous as I thought you were. You had no intention to upset Colleen, however your feud made her sad. I'm glad to hear and see you both repent. Now you know what must be done."

Hunter and Blitz nodded and turned to face each other.

"Blitz, I'm sorry for bragging about my relationship with Colleen," Hunter said to the Doberman.

"And I'm sorry for all the times I scorned you," Blitz told the Golden Retriever.

"We've been morons for trying to compete for Colleen, especially on Easter," Hunter continued.

"I know," Blitz said with a quivering lip. "We broke Colleen's heart! How could we have been so stupid?!"

Almost instantly, Blitz grabbed Hunter and wrapped himself tightly around the retriever. Instead of resisting or attempting to free himself, Hunter returned the hug, seemingly ready to sob himself. If they did cry, the scene would have been more emotionally. Exile however did not have the patience for it, and he cleared his throat to end the moment.

"Sorry, Exile," Blitz said; "I couldn't contain myself."

"I know you couldn't," Exile replied; "and that's okay. In my opinion though, I think you should save the hugging until you and Hunter say sorry to Colleen."

"You're right, Exile," said Hunter. "She needs to know we were complete idiots and we still value her as a friend and teammate. Come on, Blitz. Let's go make things right."

Without a word, Hunter and Blitz ambled up the stairs with Exile following a few steps behind. While the duo went left, the husky went into the kitchen. There he found Shag waiting for him with the ingredients for the glaze they would put on the ham.

Exile looked up at Shag and smiled. "Comrade," he said; "the way we show frustration towards each other is much similar to Hunter and Blitz's war. It's true that you've been out of character since this morning, but you have been for a reason: to make this a good holly day, no?"

Shag yipped and nodded.

"Well, I guess I owe you a sincere apology," Exile continued. "I wasn't using most of my brain when I said those things about you being a nag, but hey, it's Easter for crying out loud! Let's put our troubles in the past and get this ham ready for dinner! What do you say?!"

Shag barked and howled exuberantly as he dashed over to Exile, picking the husky up and hugging him. Just like Hunter, Exile displayed no signs of annoyance or embarrassment; he too returned the hug with a benevolent smile.

It wasn't until Shag said something in a manner that could only be deemed "mushy" when Exile lost his warm feeling. He grimaced and told the sheepdog: "Don't be a weird boy."


	7. Love Resurrected

Colleen flipped another page of the book she was reading. She was sitting on her bed dressed in red-violet short-sleeve pajamas. The notion of wearing nightwear when it was somewhere in the afternoon- while the sun was still out for that matter -would be regarded as silly, and sometimes cruel when used as a punishment for unruly children. That's what Colleen considered it to be, a punishment for igniting Hunter and Blitz's enmity. The collie was convinced she deserved it; she never knew how much she irritated Blitz with her antics. Hunter's true thoughts about her broke her heart the most.

Colleen didn't feel like crying anymore. She had wept in the bathroom while cleaning her scratches with a gauze sponge and taking a long shower. Every now and then she would sniffle, but not a single tear fell from her doleful blue eyes. The collie wondered if the next time she was cry that day was from the aroma of ham. It was a laughable theory, however Colleen told Exile that she would not appear at dinner to keep a distance from Hunter and Blitz, and, based on what occurred during the egg hunt, she vowed not to leave her room. She figured the best method of inflicting guilt on herself was to sleep on an empty stomach.

The book Colleen was reading, titled " _The Lion King_ ", was one of the dozens, if not hundreds, of children's books Exile had for some reason. The husky always appeared to be captivated with each book he read. Everyone thought it was weird but it kept him distracted when they traveled, so they allowed it. Stealing a book from Exile's collection was bad, but Colleen was aware that it would be an extremely long wait for nightfall and she needed at least one source of entertainment, and with no TV in her room, a book was the next best thing.

At the point when the main character fled his homeland, there was a knock at the door. Colleen didn't answer or even looked away from her book. She expected someone to come in and check on her so it wasn't that much of a surprise. Still, Colleen refused to respond to whoever was on the other side.

Another knock came, and again, the collie continued reading. She had silence for only five seconds.

When the third knock came, a familiar voice followed. "Colleen? You in there?"

Hunter? Colleen thought. What the devil does he want? Perhaps to see my cry, the jerk.

A fourth knock came and another voice the collie recognized, one that spoke with an Austrian accent, uttered in a soft voice: "Colleen, please open up."

Blitz is with him? Colleen thought, her sadness now morphing into anger. What's the matter with those blokes? Aren't I making them happy? The least they can do is leave me alone!

Colleen threw the book to the side, lifted the blanket and crawled underneath. Then she hid her head under the pillows and laid as still as possible. Hunter and Blitz probably heard her but she didn't care. She didn't want to see them for the rest of the day, and whatever treatment she might endure in the future, she was determined to ignore it and carry on with her life.

Hunter opened the door as slowly as he could, then he and Blitz cautiously poked their heads in the room. They immediately and carefully walked over to the bed and stood over it. Sitting on the bed was considered at one point, but the likelihood of an attack from Colleen told them not to risk it.

Hunter still took the risk of reaching out and shaking what he hoped was Colleen's arm. "Colleen?" he said. "Hey, Colleen; can we talk?"

The collie didn't respond verbally or physical. She just laid still.

Blitz reached out and shook Colleen in the same spot Hunter shook her. "Colleen, please come out of there," said the Doberman. "We need to tell you something."

From the tone of their voices, Hunter and Blitz sounded repentant. In spite of that, Colleen refused to believe that they were a tiny bit sorry. Her reason was not the contraption that flung her into the tree; it was because the incident opened her eyes to what she perceived as the truth.

With all the bravery he could muster, Blitz grabbed one of the pillows and yanked it away, revealing the left side of Colleen's head. The collie's left eye gazed up at the duo before looking down on the mattress. "Get out already," she murmured. "You've done enough for one day."

Blitz sighed. "Colleen, what happened today was not your fault; it was mine, and a little of Hunter's, but mostly it's my fault."

"Blitz is right, I had my part in this," Hunter added. "I made him angry and jealous in the first place, and when I got angry, we ditched common sense for immediate action."

"I'm sure that's how it happened," Colleen muttered.

"What?" Hunter and Blitz asked in unison.

At last, Colleen sat up and shifted herself to face the cano-sapiens talking to her. "You don't have to lie to me," she told them. "I completely understand; I do, really. I didn't mean to be a nuisance but, if you really had enough of my sense of humor, why didn't you just tell me to stop?"

"Because you were never a nuisance!" Hunter stated. "Not once have you annoyed or angered anybody!"

"Maybe not you, but him, hundreds of times," Colleen said, shifting a finger from Hunter to Blitz.

The Doberman let out another sigh. "You're right, you have angered me in the past," he admitted; "but that was my own doing. You see, the reason I call you-"

"Blitz, you don't have to make things up," Colleen said, hanging her head in shame. "I now know that I was wrong to pretend you were another person, and to call you a stupid name like 'Fluffy' and "Chubby-cheeks", and to kick you into a wall. I'm sorry. I'm such an idiot."

Hunter and Blitz glanced at each other before returning their gaze to Colleen. Yes, both cano-sapiens (especially Blitz) were surprised that they heard the collie call the Doberman by his real name, but they also felt their guilt increase when their friend called herself an idiot. It was true that Colleen would treat Blitz as if he was someone she never met; regardless, the duo standing before her knew that insulting the Doberman was only a small fraction of their feud's origin, and they needed her to understand that they were entirely at fault for everything.

With a deep breath, Blitz told the miserable collie: "Colleen, you're not an idiot. There's no reason to call yourself an idiot. All those times you made fun of me was because I tried to impress you with my looks and personal charm. I guess we can say that my choice of words were very impolite and you were giving me a taste of karma."

Colleen inched her head up and looked at Blitz a little confounded. "You mean that?" she inquired.

Blitz nodded with a small smile.

"Look, we're very sorry how bad things got between the three of us," Hunter told Colleen. "Blitz and I didn't mean to hurt you in any way, whether it be with words or a giant catapult. Exile straightened us out in the basement and we realized that love is not worth fighting for, especially between friends and on a special day like Easter. We promise you that this will never happen again; we cross our hearts."

In the blink of an eye, Colleen's frown flipped upside down, indicating how touched she was by Hunter and Blitz's apology. "Thank you for telling me that," she said. "It makes me feel better."

Hunter and Blitz sat on the bed beside their friend. "We're glad to hear that," Blitz replied; "and I promise, I will be careful what I say in the future. I'm sure Hunter would too, but it's me who has to watch my mouth. I'm not sure my gut and spine can handle more kicks and crashes."

Colleen giggled and then Hunter spoke. "Yeah, I'm going to think before I speak from now on," he said. "But if I'm allowed to speak my mind at this moment, I think another good reason why Blitz and I started arguing over you is because you're the only girl on the team. Maybe we can persuade the Master to add a couple female cano-sapiens to the team; gender equality, right?"

Blitz and Colleen agreed to the idea, even if it would be dismissed before it reached the Master.

"So, you still want to have Easter dinner with us?" Blitz asked.

"I would like that," Colleen responded. "All I hope is the honey-glazed ham tastes as good as it sounds."

"Same here," Hunter and Blitz said at once.

Oddly, the trio sat on the bed for a moment in silence. Maybe they were dreaming about the ham, but Colleen thought of something more different. She reached her arms around the cano-sapiens to her left and right and rested her hands on their upper arms. Hunter and Blitz noticed this and looked at Colleen who had a cordial smile.

Seeing her friends weren't getting the message, the collie pulled them close and bringing them in for a hug. "Come here, you blokes," she said.

Hunter and Blitz smiled and returned the hug.

"Aw, that's more like it," came a voice with a thick Russian accent.

Hunter, Colleen, and Blitz snapped their heads towards the door and saw Exile standing there looking very pleased with the sight before him. Behind him was the unmistakable shape of Shag.

"Aren't you two suppose to be cooking?" Hunter asked.

Shag gave a reply in the form of three barks and two yips.

"An hour and ten minutes," Exile added.

This delighted Hunter, Colleen, and Blitz. The ham was in the oven and, seventy minutes from now, it would be ready to be carved and eaten. Blitz suggested they all head to the basement and wait by playing pool. Everyone agreed and the group set out for the basement.

In short, all five cano-sapiens enjoyed several fantastic games of eight-ball. What made it so great was that a different player won each game, not like in the past when Hunter would win the majority of games played. As a matter of fact, Colleen was the top player in all the games the group took part in. Exile and Shag were quick to note (but not point out directly) that Hunter and Blitz were purposely taking weak shots to give their friend the winning shot. They guessed it was to help Colleen feel better, which was nice of them to do so.

Before they began another game, Hunter got a whiff of something and traced it to the upper level. No one seemed to notice his behavior or even that he smelt something in the air.

Suddenly, Hunter yelled, "EXILE! SHAG! GET UP HERE!"

Exile and Shag stared at each other in horror. They feared that a terrible thing had reduced the ham to something bad. The husky and sheepdog raced up the stairs with the collie and Doberman following close behind.

When all four cano-sapiens reached the kitchen, they were greeted with the sight of Hunter standing next to the open oven and the intoxicating aroma of the ham inside. Shag stuck the meat thermometer in the hunk of meat and waited for the needle to stop moving. One hundred and sixty degrees Fahrenheit. It was done.

"Alright!" Exile cried. "It's about time we got a start eating this thing!"

Shag ordered Exile to fetch the carving knife and a large fork, and asked Hunter and Blitz to bring the scalloped potatoes and honey-glazed carrots out to the table near the back door (which they guessed was the dining room table). A sense of tremendous excitement filled the cano-sapiens as they set the table for dinner. Colleen gave Hunter and Blitz a hand with their task before placing plates, glasses, and cutlery onto five individual placemats.

"Perfect," Colleen said once she, Hunter, and Blitz had finished setting the table. They made sure to leave a large space in the middle, a spot specially reserved for the ham.

"You can say that again," Blitz replied. "Despite the catapult, we truly made this a wonderful Easter."

"Yeah," said Hunter; "and the best part is we get to share it together; not as friends, but as a family."

Exile appeared with the honey-glazed ham, excellently carved and looking just as succulent as it smelled. The group gathered around the table and took their seats. All it took was one bite of the delicious ham to make all five cano-sapiens happy, and they knew for sure that it had been a wonderful Easter, no matter how crazy their day could have been.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, it's April 1st and this story has ended. Was it hard? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes. Was it good? That's up to you to decide. Aside from that, I'd like to wish everyone a "Happy Easter", both those who celebrate it today and on the 8th of April. Thank you for reading my Easter fanfic and enjoy your day!


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